Other people’s designs

I’m immensely fond of knits that are frayed, decayed, falling apart with years of use: there is no more fitting and dignified end for a knit. Even a lace shawl snagged on a fence on a Highlands walk – far better than sitting forgotten for decades in the bottom of a drawer.

This pattern, Small Rabbit with Sweater (Ravelry link), is better known in our home as Robert. I’ve knit the pattern (sans sweater, because nobody wears a sweater in bed) in its entirety four times, as well as a number of body parts – replacement arms, legs and ears. For about 3.5 years now, Robert has been a member of our family. He has travelled with us almost everywhere we have been (just last week, Robert was the only one who could staunch the tears on the beach when sand was firmly rubbed in to the eyes of his best friend). When Robert gets lost in a dark bedroom, we all wake up to find him, a 3am adrenaline hit, followed immediately by comfort, and sleep.

We started out with three Roberts, one was misplaced, replaced, found again, then two lost; before our holiday last week we were down to two Roberts, both looking rather the worse for wear. His feet and paws are chewed on at bedtime, and become gangrenous; to look at him is to start to limp. His ears are stroked, smoothed, rubbed over a sleepy boy’s eyes and inevitably start to wear. So before we left I needed to refurbish the two remaining Roberts and create a new one to bring us back to our usual complement of three.

I love Robert, truly, and relative to the amount of love he receives, per stitch, he has been an economical knit. I love his doleful expression, and how Stanley yet insists he is happy, and wearing a smile. But this new baby will be encouraged to take a muslin cloth as a lovey – or at most, a simple square of cotton garter stitch.

Category : Miscellaneous &Other people's designs

Wouldn’t this be wonderful realised as a hand-knit? (Of course it may be, but something about it makes me think perhaps not.)

The waterfall shape is beautiful, and from the numbers and different sizes and shapes of people I see wearing it seems to be almost universally flattering – inasmuch as anything can be. In a wool/silk blend this would be as luxurious as they come.

Category : Inspiration &Other people's designs

Apparently I’m not busy enough (parenting a three-year-old, working a full time job, working on a collection of new designs) because I’m still unable to ignore that terrible lust we occasionally get for knits. I don’t know what it was about Sedna that drew me in – perhaps my failed attempt at the February Lady Sweater meant the style/construction had not left my system (not that the pattern failed, nor the knitting – I enjoyed it immensely, but the finished item did nothing to flatter me. Luckily the shape and the colour (Dream in Color ‘In Vino Veritas’) both suited my ma to a ‘t’, so as soon as she said she liked it it was off my back and onto hers).

It started when I was working at Ally Pally earlier this year, I kept picking up Yarn Forward 8 and flicking back to it; when I remembered I had a sweater’s worth of Kilcarra Aran Tweed in stash, the deal was sealed.

The process was not without its problems: the horizontal band around the hips was far too short when I sewed it into place so instead I unpicked the cast off and reworked the band as one would an applied edging, working ssk on RS rows and slipping the first st of WS rows so there are actually two rows of band to each stitch of body. It makes the cardigan flare out slightly which may not be flattering to the top-heavy but is OK for someone as straight up and down as me.

It’s more difficult, now, approaching 40 and having changed shape. Inevitable, of course, after childbirth and a certain age, but I’m still not used to it. In my 20s I could really rely on being able to wear anything, and now that I can’t, I’m far less confident about the choices I make. But my sister said she likes this on me, so for now, at least, it’s in wardrobe rotation.

One day I will unpick the bands at the wrists and knit an extra half a repeat on the arms’ lengths before sewing the bands back on – the sleeves are just an inch too short, that I feel I must keep tugging them down.

Category : Other people's designs